Campbell senior has ability to keep Portageville bats 'guessing'

Campbell High School senior pitcher Sam Bunting throws against Caruthersville recently in the Bootheel Conference Tournament at Caruthersville.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

The task facing the Campbell High School baseball team today is monumental.

The Camels, who beat Holcomb 3-1 on Thursday in their opening game of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 Tournament at Bernie, now face Class 2 No. 3-ranked Portageville (26-7) at 11 a.m.

Campbell has the luxury of possessing a deep and talented pitching rotation, and second-year Camel coach Quinton Stevens used junior Tanner Smart and sophomore Jackson Melvin, both of whom threw well, to get past the Hornets (11-13).

Smart allowed just two hits in three innings (74 pitches thrown) while Melvin (three hits, no runs, and seven strikeouts in four innings) threw 35 strikes in his 53 pitches.

That leaves Campbell senior Sam Bunting available for today, and he is capable of keeping the Camels in games.

“Sam is a senior,” Stevens said recently after watching Bunting beat a 15-win Caruthersville team in the Bootheel Conference Tournament, “and on the mound, his leadership shows.”

Bunting hasn’t pitched since that win over the Tigers 11 days ago, so he should be rested for a Bulldog team that is averaging 9.5 runs per game, which is more than either of the past two seasons, both of which Portageville advanced to the MSHSAA State Finals.

“Sam is one of those guys that is going to give you 110 percent,” Stevens said. “I’ve got full faith in him that he is going to do his job.

Bunting held Caruthersville to just one earned run over 6 1/3 innings and struck out 14 hitters.

In an outing just prior to that game, he stymied Bernie in a 3-2 Camel win, by giving up just two hits in three innings.

“He has pitched phenomenally this year,” Stevens said. “He’s done awesome. I’m really proud of him and he’s been a Bulldog out there.”

To beat Portageville, Bunting is going to have to keep the Bulldogs off-balance, which he can do, according to Stevens.

“His fastball is really good,” Stevens said, “but a lot of times, his splitter is very, very nasty when he throws it. He also has a very good slider, as a good secondary pitch, as well.”

Against Caruthersville, Bunting threw 70 strikes in his 106 pitches.

“He’s got three really good pitches,” Stevens concluded. “It keeps a lot of guys guessing. He is good with all three of them.”

Thursday’s C2D1 games were to be played at Senath-Hornersville but were moved to Bernie due to rain-soaked fields in Senath. If that is the case again today, the two semifinals (Bernie vs. Senath-Hornersville at 1 p.m. being the other game) will be played at Bernie.